Goalkeepers' Union

A slight tweak has kept Rocky out of the opening few games of the Championship campaign, so we've ensured he remained in action as the latest subject in our recent series of interviews.

The Cardiff No1 delves deep into his thoughts on goalkeeping, the key decisions required to fulfil a career and just what a precarious position it can be.

With one half of GKU away on a very quick break, Between the Sticks shall be returning next week.

A bonkers summer of goalkeeping activity shows no signs of abating.

Therefore, with just less than a month still to go, we thought it was best to cover off the majority of moves to have taken place thus far.

Rich returns to run the rule over acquisitions from all four tiers, plus offering a little reflection on the opening weekend of the EFL campaign and Aaron Ramsdale's Community Shield success.

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Had arrangements gone to plan, this podcast would have been recorded and subsequently released about a month ago.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Because a month ago, Tom King was a goalkeeper who had not long completed a short-term contract in League Two with Northampton Town.

Now, he's Tom King of Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers, training alongside Jose Sa and Dan Bentley in a bid to make his mark on the Old Gold.

In this episode, the Wales international talks GKU through how the unexpected move materialised, his early impressions of life in the top flight and what he foresees occurring over the next two years of his goalkeeping career.

Honest, insightful and, thanks to a TikToktastic social media reference, rather funny.

After starting his pro career with a close to ten-year stint at one club, Jack Stevens made the decision to switch allegiance this summer.

The 25-year-old jumped ship (or boat, more fittingly) from Oxford to Cambridge, signing a two-year deal at the Abbey Stadium in a bid to further an already blossoming spell between the sticks.

Touted among top-flight clubs since first breaking onto the scene, his goal is to reach the very top - and he still has plenty of time to achieve it.

Here, he speaks to GKU about being told by Chelsea he'd never be tall enough for a goalkeeper, life away from the game and receiving unexpected voice notes from Dion Dublin.

Up until now, only two goalkeepers to have appeared on the Goalkeepers' Union Podcast could lay claim to winning a European trophy.

Alex Stepney and Peter Schmeichel now have company in the form of Czechia's Tomas Vaclik.

After rising through the ranks on home soil, a multi-title winning move to Basel preceded a sunshine switch to Sevilla where he was present for one of the many Europa League's claimed by the club.

A starring role at Euro 2020 followed before a tumultuous spell at Olympiacos prompted an unexpected foray into the English game. Thirteen games later and Tomas had helped to aid Huddersfield's great escape from Championship relegation last season.

Now, as one of goalkeeping's very attractive free agents this summer, he talks to GKU about life in Leeds, adapting to new techniques in each country and learning from fellow countryman and Premier League Hall of Famer, Petr Cech.

NB: This episode was recorded a week prior to the end of last season. 

Back to the dugout for this one.

Kevin Miller enjoyed a thorough playing career. From the top tier with Crystal Palace to the nether regions of non-league goalkeeping, he racked up more than 700 appearances over the course of a whopping 26 years.

Now his fortunes have come full circle with a role as Goalkeeper Coach at Exeter City, the club where it all began as a teenager in the late 1980s.

In this episode, after outlining his philosophy in working with the likes of Jamal Blackman at St James Park, Kev takes us on a trip down memory lane to recall tales of playing under the likes of Barry Fry and Steve Coppell - and how the lure of goalkeeping twice plucked him out of retirement.

Before today, only once in the history of the Goalkeepers' Union Podcast had a guest been invited back onto the show for a second outing to discuss his or her career.

That man was Kasper Schmeichel. And now joining such illustrious company is Lawrence Vigouroux - the man crowned Clean Sheet Club King of 2022-23 and set for an exciting few years ahead.

Currently on the verge of monumental career move, Vigs reflects on the two years since our previous chat and tackles some of the key topics in the modern game.

He even has time to demonstrate his rather impressive recall in our cheeky career quiz at the end of the show.

In the final analysis pod of the campaign, we discuss Ederson's heroics in the second-half of Man City's Treble-securing triumph over Inter Milan in Istanbul, while also looking at the impact Andre Onana had on the game.

GKs On Their Way also briefly returns to quickly capture the few moves to have taken place in the post-season, before Rich runs the rule over the past 12 months and offers his thoughts on what we might expect from goalkeeping in 2023-24.

Thank you, as always, for listening and supporting us for another season. We'll be dropping in with GKs On Their Way and feature interviews throughout the summer.

Having been out of the cut and thrust of goalkeeper coaching for close to a full season, it was awesome to sit down with a man who's had time to reflect on his career and the fine art of goalkeeping.

Simon Smith is the ultimate glovesman. He's worked with one of the most solid No1 and No2 duos the Premier League can ever boast in Shay Given and Steve Harper, he's travelled the globe to expand his understanding of the position and he possesses a bank of knowledge and experience not many others can lay claim to.

This is the first part of a lengthy chat with the affable ex-Newcastle United man, who was kind enough to invite us into his home up in Tynemouth.

A shorter Part Two - focusing more on a few stories of those he's coached over the years, plus his time with Sir Bobby Robson - will come next week.

And so the end of another campaign is very nearly upon us, which can only mean one thing... IT'S TIME FOR THE HOTLY-ANTICIPATED GOALKEEPERS' UNION PODCAST AWARDS CEREMONY.

Yes, eight gongs are up for grabs in this year's showpiece event, ranging from your standard Goalkeeper of the Season to your not-so-standard Surprise Package of the Season.

Before that, we take a quick look at the FA Cup Final and Scottish Premiership Play-Off Final where Manchester City and Ross County were respectively triumphant.